About us
Jazz, Wine and Chocolate:
these are the qualities of the only 'theme' hotels in Perugia
In Perugia, a visionary story based on passion
The project to create "themed" accommodation in the Green Heart of Italy began in 1992, when the Guarducci family opened the first "wine-themed" hotel: on that occasion, the furnishings of each room, which included an original "scri-vini-a", spoke of the excellence of the winery from which they took their name.
The furnishings in the lobby were inspired by a wine cellar and an old manor house and, taking the cue from the family's gastronomic emporium, it was immediately decided to make use of the wine theme also in the restaurant, where a sommelier is always available and is one of the first places to serve wine by the glass.
Since its opening, in collaboration with important wine and food associations such as Slow Food and AIS, we have been holding tasting workshops, the 5 glasses game with ghost wines, themed events with meetings with chefs and cooks from other regions, adding an invariably cultural flavour to the events.
The furnishings in the lobby were inspired by a wine cellar and an old manor house and, taking the cue from the family's gastronomic emporium, it was immediately decided to make use of the wine theme also in the restaurant, where a sommelier is always available and is one of the first places to serve wine by the glass.
Since its opening, in collaboration with important wine and food associations such as Slow Food and AIS, we have been holding tasting workshops, the 5 glasses game with ghost wines, themed events with meetings with chefs and cooks from other regions, adding an invariably cultural flavour to the events.
1998 marked the establishment of the Chocohotel
In 1998, the more general theme-based project was continued and the second hotel, the Chocohotel, became devoted to another "added value" of the area, chocolate.
Perugia is a beautiful city, with distinctive 'products' that distinguish it from others: one of these is precisely the theme of chocolate, which has been a leading protagonist in our city for over a century due to the existence of the Perugina factory.
At the Chocohotel, the chocolate theme is developed with the "milk" or "dark" rooms, a tub full of melted chocolate for an inebriating bath, the cocoa cuddles, the choco burraco, the choco tango, and finally the Chocostore, where inviting chocolate or chocolate-inspired products made by Costruttori di Dolcezze and Chocogadget from Eurochocolate are available.
There is also the Choco Sweet Suite, entirely decorated with chocolate, and the Buone Nuove Restaurant, which, in addition to a traditional menu, offers an All-Chocolate Menu.
Perugia is a beautiful city, with distinctive 'products' that distinguish it from others: one of these is precisely the theme of chocolate, which has been a leading protagonist in our city for over a century due to the existence of the Perugina factory.
At the Chocohotel, the chocolate theme is developed with the "milk" or "dark" rooms, a tub full of melted chocolate for an inebriating bath, the cocoa cuddles, the choco burraco, the choco tango, and finally the Chocostore, where inviting chocolate or chocolate-inspired products made by Costruttori di Dolcezze and Chocogadget from Eurochocolate are available.
There is also the Choco Sweet Suite, entirely decorated with chocolate, and the Buone Nuove Restaurant, which, in addition to a traditional menu, offers an All-Chocolate Menu.
As of 2007, Hotel Giò Wine and Jazz Area, the third themed hotel
In 2007, during the week of the Umbria Jazz Festival, the third themed hotel was finally opened. It was the extension of the Hotel Giò, which thus became the Hotel Giò Wine and Jazz Area, a single property with two themed areas connected by an original gallery centred around a giant piano keyboard upon which guests walk and music videos light up as they pass.
Throughout the Jazz Area and the Perugia Convention Centre, jazz is being celebrated through a collection of first editions of vinyl. There is also a collection of antique pianos ranging from 1740 to the late 19th century, a Steinway & Sons, art photos of major jazz artists, a restaurant dedicated to the city of New Orleans, violin keys as table centrepieces and personalised 33 rpm records as under-plates, a well-stocked Music Store and so on.
Throughout the Jazz Area and the Perugia Convention Centre, jazz is being celebrated through a collection of first editions of vinyl. There is also a collection of antique pianos ranging from 1740 to the late 19th century, a Steinway & Sons, art photos of major jazz artists, a restaurant dedicated to the city of New Orleans, violin keys as table centrepieces and personalised 33 rpm records as under-plates, a well-stocked Music Store and so on.
Jazz is also an important added value for our city, which during the week of Umbria Jazz, in July, comes to life with music and shows to suit all tastes. With the Perugia Jazz Club, we have had several editions of the Jazz Season, a series of concerts with the greatest Italian jazz musicians. From Rava to Bollani, from Ciammarughi to Gatto, from Cafiso to Funk Off, and furthermore Gino Paoli, Sellani, the Alabama Gospel, Brad Mehldau, the Manatthan Transfer and many other great artists who have performed in the large Auditorium which can hold up to 700 people.
The CameraCantina®
The latest novelty from the APICE srl - Hotels Division is the project CameraCantina®, designed to allow guests to "travel" through the world of wine.
The CameraCantina® is also an exhibition space, where wine companies and businesses can tell their stories, the style and passion that accompanies the creation of Great Wines and the most representative products from the Italian territory.
There are 33 CameraCantina® at the Hotel Giò Wine Area in Perugia, each dedicated to a winery, a product or a territory.
The wineries, as well as the Consorzi di Tutela, the Strade del Vino and all the other organisations and institutions that care about the enhancement and promotion of wines and their territories have therefore created their own CameraCantina® by actively participating in the project.
This means that the components and furnishings such as the "Scri-vini-a", the Wine-Lamps, the wine boxes used as bedside tables, the entrance doors, the Wine-Wall and more were customised by the wineries themselves.
The CameraCantina® is also an exhibition space, where wine companies and businesses can tell their stories, the style and passion that accompanies the creation of Great Wines and the most representative products from the Italian territory.
There are 33 CameraCantina® at the Hotel Giò Wine Area in Perugia, each dedicated to a winery, a product or a territory.
The wineries, as well as the Consorzi di Tutela, the Strade del Vino and all the other organisations and institutions that care about the enhancement and promotion of wines and their territories have therefore created their own CameraCantina® by actively participating in the project.
This means that the components and furnishings such as the "Scri-vini-a", the Wine-Lamps, the wine boxes used as bedside tables, the entrance doors, the Wine-Wall and more were customised by the wineries themselves.
The IV International Wine Tourism Conference and Workshop, which, from the 30th of January to the 2nd of February 2012, chose Hotel Giò Wine Area as the venue for its work, therefore provided the formal opportunity to present these first 33 CameraCantina® to the public and the international press.
Among the wineries that have joined and created their own CameraCantina® are well-known names on the Umbrian wine scene. This includes Lungarotti, Caprai, Adanti, Rocca di Fabbri, Aliani, Madonna del Latte, Terre Margaritelli, Antonelli, Còlpetrone and Falesco, Cantine Goretti, Madrevite, Cantina Briziarelli, Carlo and Marco Carini, Terre de' Trinci. Furthermore, from the Tuscan wineries Castello Banfi and Rocca delle Macìe, as well as the Calabrian Senatore Vini, from the Marche Monte Schiavo and from Puglia Tenute Al Bano Carrisi.
Among the wineries that have joined and created their own CameraCantina® are well-known names on the Umbrian wine scene. This includes Lungarotti, Caprai, Adanti, Rocca di Fabbri, Aliani, Madonna del Latte, Terre Margaritelli, Antonelli, Còlpetrone and Falesco, Cantine Goretti, Madrevite, Cantina Briziarelli, Carlo and Marco Carini, Terre de' Trinci. Furthermore, from the Tuscan wineries Castello Banfi and Rocca delle Macìe, as well as the Calabrian Senatore Vini, from the Marche Monte Schiavo and from Puglia Tenute Al Bano Carrisi.
A project that is Made in Italy, therefore, which together with the wineries has also seen the participation of major Italian companies, from furniture to coverings and the research of the Italian Design Institute.
CameraCantina® is not just a format linked to hotel accommodation, but a much broader project, which aims to promote wine but also to create and develop new marketing formats, as well as to spread a wine culture aimed at informed consumption.
CameraCantina® is not just a format linked to hotel accommodation, but a much broader project, which aims to promote wine but also to create and develop new marketing formats, as well as to spread a wine culture aimed at informed consumption.
APICE srl - Hotels Division continues to look ahead and to grow day after day, in the name of the continuous search for excellence and quality of services and experiences to offer our guests, to render each stay an unforgettable experience and to spread awareness and the values of an extraordinary territory as only the Green Heart of Italy can be!